Here our AMERICAN FREEDOM comes to one’s aid. There is nothing to stop you，or anyone from engaging in any portion of theeffort necessary to carry on these businesses. If onehas superior talent， training， experience， one mayaccumulate riches in large amounts. Those not sofortunate may accumulate smaller amounts. Anyonemay earn a living in return for a very nominalamount of labor.
So—there you are！
OPPORTUNITY has spread its wares before you.
Step up to the front， select what you want， createyour plan， put the plan into action， and followthrough with PERSISTENCE. “Capitalistic” Americawill do the rest. You can depend upon this much—CAPITALISTIC AMERICA INSURES EVERY PERSONTHE OPPORTUNITY TO RENDER USEFUL SERVICE，
AND TO COLLECT RICHES IN PROPORTION TO THE VALUE OF THE SERVICE.
The “System” denies no one this right， but itdoes not， and cannot promise SOMETHING FORNOTHING， because the system， itself， is irrevocablycontrolled by the LAW OF ECONOMICS whichneither recognizes nor tolerates for long， GETTINGWITHOUT GIVING.
The LAW OF ECONOMICS was passed by Nature！
There is no Supreme Court to which violators of thislaw may appeal. The law hands out both penaltiesfor its violation， and appropriate rewards for itsobservance， without interference or the possibilityof interference by any human being. The law cannotbe repealed. It is as fixed as the stars in the heavens，and subject to， and a part of the same system thatcontrols the stars.
May one refuse to adapt one’s self to the LAW OFECONOMICS？
Certainly！ This is a free country， where all menare born with equal rights， including the privilege ofignoring the LAW OF ECONOMICS.
What happens then？
Well， nothing happens until large numbers of menjoin forces for the avowed purpose of ignoring thelaw， and taking what they want by force.
THEN COMES THE DICTATOR， WITH WELL
ORGANIZED FIRING SQUADS AND MACHINE GUNS！
We have not yet reached that stage in America！ Butwe have heard all we want to know about how thesystem works. Perhaps we hal1 be fortunate enoughnot to demand personal knowledge of so gruesomea reality. Doubtless we shall prefer to continue withour FREEDOM OF SPEECH， FREEDOM OF DEED， andFREEDOM TO RENDER USEFUL SERVICE IN RETURN
FOR RICHES.
The practice， by Government officials of extendingto men and women the privilege of raiding thepublic treasury in return for votes， sometimes resultsin election， but as night follows day， the final payoffcomes； when every penny wrongfully used， mustbe repaid with compound interest on compoundinterest. If those who make the grab are not forcedto repay， the burden falls on their children， and theirchildren’s children， “even unto the third and fourthgenerations.” There is no way to avoid the debt.
Men can， and sometimes do， form themselves intogroups for the purpose of crowding wages up， andworking hours down. There is a point beyond whichthey cannot go. It is the point at which the LAW OFECONOMICS steps in， and the sheriff gets both theemployer and the employees.
For six years， from 1929， to 1935， the people ofAmerica， both rich and poor， barely missed seeingthe Old Man Economics hand over to the sheriff allthe businesses， and industries and banks. It was nota pretty sight！ It did not increase our respect for mobpsychology through which men cast reason to thewinds and start trying to GET without GIVING.
We who went through those six discouraging years，when FEAR WAS IN THE SADDLE， AND FAITH WASON THE GROUND， cannot forget how ruthlessly theLAW OF ECONOMICS exacted its toll from both richand poor， weak and strong， old and young. We shallnot wish to go through another such experience.
These observations are not founded upon shorttimeexperience. They are the result of twenty-fiveyears of careful analysis of the methods of both themost successful and the most unsuccessful menAmerica has known.